Cincinnati Bearcats Logos History

The Cincinnati Bearcats football program is one of the oldest in college football, having fielded a team as early as 1885. The team has had 39 head coaches and three interim coaches during its existence, as well as one stint with no coach and two periods with the program on hiatus.

The Bearcats have won 10 conference championships, most recently in 2021. They have also appeared in 16 bowl games, with their most recent appearance being the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

The Bearcats have never won a national championship, but they have had some highly successful seasons. The 2021 team finished the regular season with a 13-0 record and was ranked number 4 in the AP Poll. They went on to win the AAC championship and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats lost to Alabama in the semifinals, but they still had one of the best seasons in program history.

The Bearcats are currently members of the Big 12 Conference. They joined the conference in 2023 after spending 18 years in the American Athletic Conference.

The story of how the school nickname originated back in 1914 is quite unique. According to the school's website:

"The name was inspired by a cheer and play on words for UC star player Leonard K. “Teddy” Baehr.  A chant created during the game, “They may be Wildcats, but we have a Baehr-cat on our side,” eventually led to the name being memorialized in a cartoon published in the student newspaper following Cincinnati’s win. The cartoon, by John "Paddy" Reece, depicted a bedraggled Kentucky Wildcat being chased by a creature labeled "Cincinnati Bear Cats.""

Here are some of the most notable moments in Cincinnati Bearcats football history:

• The 1951 team finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record and was ranked number 2 in the AP Poll. They lost to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, but they were still considered one of the best teams in the country.
• The 1974 team finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and was ranked number 15 in the AP Poll. They lost to Penn State in the Liberty Bowl, but they were still considered one of the most improved teams in the country.
• The 2009 team finished the regular season with a 12-1 record and was ranked number 5 in the AP Poll. They lost to Florida in the Sugar Bowl, but they were still considered one of the best teams in the country.
• The 2021 team finished the regular season with a 13-0 record and was ranked number 4 in the AP Poll. They went on to win the AAC championship and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats lost to Alabama in the semifinals, but they still had one of the best seasons in program history.

Sharing the greatest stories of Big 12 football team histories! The Big 12 Conference has been a perneial powerhouse of great football schools. The Conference was originally founded in February 1994. The eight members of the former Big Eight Conference joined with the Southwest Conference universities University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Baylor University and Texas Tech University to form the conference, with play beginning in 1996.